The Vermont minimum hourly wage goes from $12.55 to $13.18 on Jan. 1, 2023. That means your server goes from $6.28 to $6.59. Think of that next time you give your barista (who gets $15 per hour) a 20% tip.
To whoever selects the editorial cartoons for the Herald, a bit of counsel — It is praiseworthy to try to present both sides of a political divide on the editorial page, but better leave that to whoever writes your editorials. Political cartoons by their very nature are already a “side” freq…
"Six people fatally shot at Virginia Walmart" reads this morning’s headlines. Six people who won’t be with their families for Thanksgiving. Six people who won’t be with their families for any holiday ever again. Six families, and probably more, whose lives have been torn to shreds because th…
This is what The Washington Post had to say about regaining trust in the ethics of the U.S. Supreme Court:
Searching for an arresting metaphor for the approaching legislative session, I found a compelling example, as described by contemporaneous reports.
Mike Pompeo, a West Point grad and former secretary of state under Trump, earlier today called Randi Weingarten, American Federation of Teachers president, "the most dangerous person in America." Pompeo also accused America's teachers of indoctrinating students by using "filth" in classrooms.
Even back in the ’60s, for example, people exclaimed, "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays" besides "Merry Christmas." I was born in 1980, but one proof regarding the ’60s is a Beetle Bailey cartoon episode when the characters chant other forms of greetings besides "Merry Christmas." Even…
This is what the Boston Herald had to say recently about efforts to prevent crime, and the implications that come from those efforts:
It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Across the nation, hordes of my countrymen are descending on corporate retailers like clouds of RFID-enabled locusts.
I worked outdoors in Wisconsin one summer, maintaining filtration pipes that were laid out over an 80-acre pasture. My only companion during work hours was a house cat I named Fred who had recently been abandoned to the fields. My circumstances were such that I could not take him in, and bec…
While the Democrat’s “Stop Herschel Walker” campaign is reminiscent of defensive coordinators’ obsession when he was an All-American running back in college and later an NFL star, it’s lost some of its urgency since the GOP “Red Tsunami” failed to materialize, rendering Georgia’s Dec. 6 runo…
In the early 1990s, I joined the Vermont Republican Party. I did so because the VTGOP recognized five core principles: a free market economy; a local and efficient government that kept taxes within reason; an educational system that enabled our graduates to compete in a global marketplace; i…
The internet has ruined us. We feel lost without our smartphones and devices.
It was Nov. 8, Election Day in America, as I began to write this commentary before joining friends to watch early results of our crucial midterm election, and it is not hyperbole to say we were beyond tense. We were terrified. We knew what could be coming at us if the wrong side prevailed, t…
Imagine being a college student who’s trying to get ahead but faces obstacles at every turn. Maybe it was a late phone bill, an unexpected closure of a child care center, or a failed vehicle inspection that prompted skipping class because there weren’t enough dollars for essentials. Would yo…
The violent events of Jan. 6 last year at the nation’s Capitol have persuaded more than a few writers and media outlets there is a rising chance of further, perhaps more intense, political violence on our horizon. If you look carefully at the available information, a pretty good case can be …
Eric Metaxas, author of “Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness,” in 2015, said, “Each era has the fatal hubris to believe that it has once and for all climbed to the top of the mountain and can see everything as it is, from the highest and most objective vantage point possible.”
You are inspired to make a difference. You want to be an agent for change. You need to build a group of supporters who share your vision. But you don’t want it to be just your friends. You want it to resonate with your mates, your kids, your parents.
As a fan of nationally themed months, November is one I am particularly excited about. It is National Career Development Month. Contrived? Maybe. Unnecessary? Debatable.
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Re: “A Rutlandburg’s Address”: How does owning and operating one’s own, successful, quality restaurant in Rutland, Vermont, force one to endure daily “degradation and humiliation,” as commenter J. Alvin Wakefield, of Mendon, asserts in last week’s Herald opinion page?
On Monday, Nov. 21, Rutland City became aware of a water main leak and located the source of the problem at the intersection of Wales and Center streets. Later in the day, the city notified our business (Rutland Area Food Co-op) water would be shut off to our building and our block of Wales …
One the many things I love about living in Vermont is how we take care of each other and value strong communities. As the days get shorter and darker, we are also entering a season of gratitude — a time when many of us reflect on our blessings and ways we can give back.
Eric Metaxas, author of “Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness,” in 2015, said, “Each era has the fatal hubris to believe that it has once and for all climbed to the top of the mountain and can see everything as it is, from the highest and most objective vantage point possible.”
A good many of us breathed a sigh of relief on the morning of Nov. 9 as we learned the results of the election. Most of the extreme candidates nationally were defeated. The predicted Red Wave was a pink ripple, and perhaps most important, there were no reports of violence at polling places. …
We have much to be grateful for. Truly.
As autumn winds down and our Green Mountain fields and forests prepare to rest, we give thanks for the bounty of the seasons. In the coming weeks, Vermont food will be at the center of the table as many of us celebrate with family and friends. Maybe the meal will begin with an appetizer plat…
Things are not looking up for Indigenous Americans this Thanksgiving. The Supreme Court is considering the retraction of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act. Cherokees in Oklahoma are suing for the seat in the House of Representatives to which they are entitled under a treaty signed 187 years …
The GOP 2024 presidential hopefuls and other Republicans are turning on Trump, falling all over themselves calling him a loser. Trump is the perfect scapegoat for the failures of the party. The sad thing for our country is the only reason some in the party have turned on him is his 2020 loss…
I see this weekend's column by John Nassivera on religion is a discussion of why his Roman Catholicism is superior to the religion of Seventh-day Adventists. Just another one of his polemics. You may want to consider instead publishing articles on religion from the Pew Research Center, which…
As we think ahead to our holiday gathering this week, we probably aren’t thinking much about our overall health. But we should.
I love to walk my neighborhood. Even though the sidewalks are not perfectly smooth or straight, they serve a great purpose. According to Vermont Statue, they are a right of way. “Sidewalk” means the portion of a street or highway right-of-way designated for primary or exclusive pedestrian us…
Whenever I have an opportunity to use idioms in a column, I’m as happy as a clam. After my friend, Scott, suggested I see how many animal expressions I could put in one essay, he didn’t have to badger me. I knew once I got started, I’d have a whale of a time, grinning like a Cheshire cat unt…
In Vermont and across the world, people are understandably anxious. Once-stable democracies are in peril; the tide of refugees fleeing unlivable homes continues rising; nuclear war with Russia is again a possibility; the corrosive effects of greed and tribalism are everywhere. While all of t…
A 2022 Vermont Fish and Wildlife survey reveals nearly two-thirds of Vermonters oppose trapping for recreation or fur.
Al Wakefield's address to the community is a difficult wake-up call, and a call to action. That Ernie and Willa Royal, a couple filled with talent, grace and dignity, endured frequent "degradation and humiliation" here, because of the color of their skin, is unfathomable. Such backward behav…
Vermont's Gov. Scott, in a recent op-ed, laid out his plea for balance, civility and respect. To Scott, this is a both-sides thing, and this is why I have thoroughly changed both my personal and political opinion of him.
The Vermont Legislature may consider a bill this upcoming session which will eliminate the discriminatory two-court system of adult guardianship in this state, combining the two systems into one under the jurisdiction of the probate division. One of the changes will require the state to file…
With the holiday season comes more drivers on our roads. Over 50 million Americans are expected to travel to visit family during Thanksgiving week, many of them embarking on long road trips.
It’s hard to deny that contemporary American politics has succumbed to lunacy. The MAGA rumor that liberal schools are distributing kitty litter to students who identify as cats seems relatively tame in a field that includes Marjorie Greene’s Jewish space lasers and QAnon’s clandestine ring …
‘Did I overhear you say, real maple syrup?”
Sen. Patrick Leahy, with his decades of service to Vermont, has assisted so many Vermonters and their communities that his contributions could be documented in a multi-volume book. Perhaps, less well-known is his work for disadvantaged citizens outside Vermont. One notable example is his lea…
With no discernible wind, the sun penetrates my jacket enough to warm me despite its being barely above the tree-line, lengthening shadows, instigating thoughts of winter on a chilly afternoon earlier in the week. Even as I try to absorb as much of the waning brilliance as I can, layers of d…
Living alone as I do, with relatively few opportunities for conversation (I couldn’t help but notice, for instance, how little my life changed during the early COVID lockdown), I tend to chat with my household appliances and cars. They rarely answer. I also take note of phenomena that to oth…
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Five Questions With
Just over three months ago we started “Five Questions With ...” to put a human face to this pandemic. Today marks the final installment in this stage of the project, but it will continue with a new set of questions more focused on Vermont’s recovery. Here, Paul Costello, of Montpelier, offer…
Marlee Brunton, of Middlesex, talks about the pandemic and its effects on her family.
Marlee Brunton, of Middlesex, talks about the pandemic and its effects on her family.
Alayna Martel, of Barre Town, is a registered nurse at UVM Medical Center. She talks about how, as a frontline workers, her life has been affected by the pandemic.
Gayle Townsend-Lang, of Rutland, works full time wearing many hats for the Rutland City Public Schools as “Miss Gayle.” Here she talks about how she has been affected by the pandemic.
Stefanie Schaffer, of Rutland, talks about how she has been coping with self-isolation and dealing with the pandemic.
Stefanie Schaffer, of Rutland, talks about how she has been coping with self-isolation and dealing with the pandemic.
Yankee Notebook columnist Willem Lange, of East Montpelier, talks about how he has been affected by self-isolation and the pandemic.
CPA Thomas Lauzon, of Barre, discusses how his life has been affected by the pandemic and self-isolation. Earlier this spring Lauzon was named to the governor’s Economic Mitigation & Recovery Task Force.
Chrispin White, of Rutland, discusses how he has been adapting to self-isolation and how the pandemic has been affecting him.
Christina Sweet, of Rutland, discusses how she and her family have been affected by the pandemic and self-isolation over these months.
Educator and Vermont Mountaineers General Manager Brian Gallagher, of East Montpelier, discusses how the pandemic has affected his life. Earlier this spring, the Mountaineers’ organizers announced they would cancel the 2020 season.
Cat Heatley, of Rutland, talks about how her life has been affected by the pandemic in recent weeks.
Cat Heatley, of Rutland, talks about how her life has been affected by the pandemic in recent weeks.
Salon owner and fitness instructor April Rogers Farnham, of Plainfield, talks about how she has been affected by self-isolation.
Barre Partnership Executive Director Tracie Lewis talks about self-isolation and how the pandemic has been affecting her life.
Montpelier writer Thomas Greene discusses how he has been affected by self-isolation and the pandemic.
Drew Smith, of Rutland, talks about self-isolation and how the pandemic has affected his life.
Jessica Van Orman talks about her experience in self-isolation and how the pandemic has affected her life.
Artist Jen Rondinone, of Rutland, reflects on self-isolation and how the pandemic has affected her and her family.
Mark Breen, the "Eye on the Sky" guy from the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, shares his thoughts in self-isolation and how the pandemic has been affecting his life.
Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe discusses how self-isolation and the pandemic have affected his life.
Executive Director of the Paramount Bruce Bouchard, of Rutland, talks about how his life has been affected by the pandemic and its consequences.
WDEV radio talk show host Dave Gram, of Montpelier, talks about the pandemic and how it has been affecting him and his life.
Stay-at-home mom and low-income advocate Roni Lynn Shrout, of Montpelier, discusses how the pandemic has affected her family.
Carrie Allen, of Rutland, explains how she has been coping with self-isolation and what she hopes will come from it after the pandemic is over.
Vermont cartoonist Tim Newcomb provides a bit of levity to his answers about self-isolation and how he is coping.
Recovery Vermont’s Melissa Story, of Montpelier, shares her thoughts on self-isolation and how it has affected her.
Major Jackson is a poet and professor at the University of Vermont. He lives in South Burlington.
Former governor Jim Douglas shared his thoughts on self-isolation.